<a href="http://www.openbuildings.com/buildings/tianjin-eco-city-profile-4292.html">Tianjin Eco-City</a> is a fascinating, 30 square kilometer development designed to showcase the hottest new green technologies and to serve as a model for future developing Chinese cities. Designed by <a href="http://www.surbana.com/edm/oct08/SUPG.html">Surbana Urban Planning Group</a>, the city is being built just 10 minutes away from the business parks at the Tianjin Economic-Development Area, making for a commute that should be a breeze with the development's advanced light rail <a href="http://inhabitat.com/transportation/">transit</a> system. Even cooler, the community's expected 350,000 residents will be able to choose different landscapes ranging from a sun-powered solarscape to a greenery-clad earthscape to enjoy.

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Tianjin Eco City

Eco-City will make use of the latest sustainable technologies such as <a href="http://inhabitat.com/category/solar-power/">solar power</a>, <a href="http://inhabitat.com/category/energy/wind/">wind power</a>, rainwater recycling, and wastewater treatment/desalination of sea water.

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Tianjin Eco City

In order to reduce the city's carbon emissions, residents will be encouraged to use an advanced light rail system, and China has also pledged that 90 percent of traffic within the city will be public <a href="http://inhabitat.com/transportation/">transport</a>.

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Tianjin Eco City

The development also features some beautiful public green spaces.

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Tianjin Eco City

The city will be divided into seven distinct sectors - a Lifescape, an Eco-Valley, a Solarscape, an Urbanscape, a Windscape, an Earthscape and Eco-Corridors.

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Tianjin Eco City

Surrounded by greenery, the Lifescape will consist of a series of soil-topped mounds that will counteract the towering apartment buildings of the other communities.

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Tianjin Eco City

To the north of the Lifescape, the Solarscape will act as the administrative and civic center of the Eco-City.

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Tianjin Eco City

Demonstrating the concept of a compact, multilayered city, the Urbanscape will be the core of the Eco-City, featuring stacked programs interconnected by sky-bridges at multiple levels to make efficient use of <a href="http://inhabitat.com/skyscraper-theme-park-for-new-york-city/">vertical space</a>.

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Tianjin Eco City

An aerial view of the Urbanscape.

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Tianjin Eco City

In contrast to the Urbanscape, the Earthscape will act as a sort of suburb of the city, with stepped architecture that will maximize public <a href="http://inhabitat.com/spiraling-stairscraper-provides-a-garden-for-every-apartment/">green space</a>.

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Tianjin Eco City

The Windscape corridor.

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Tianjin Eco City

Last but not least, the Windscape will transform Qingtuozi, a century-old village surrounded by a small lake, into a venue for citizens to relax and recreate.

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Tianjin Eco City

Tianjin Eco-City is a fascinating, 30 square kilometer development designed to showcase the hottest new green technologies and to serve as a model for future developing Chinese cities. Designed by Surbana Urban Planning Group, the city is being built just 10 minutes away from the business parks at the Tianjin Economic-Development Area, making for a commute that should be a breeze with the development's advanced light rail transit system. Even cooler, the community's expected 350,000 residents will be able to choose different landscapes ranging from a sun-powered solarscape to a greenery-clad earthscape to enjoy.